Sufficient
by Kcx
Summary: Movie-Verse. A small sparkling is found in the rubble of a destructed Iacon, and thought to be the last sparkling to ever exist. How will the Autobots handle it? And how will they be able to take care of such a small being?
1. Part One

This is a story I wanted to do because I simply felt like it. It's just going to be not that many chapters, and just explains how the Autobots got Bumblebee and the likes. I'll probably start writing drabbles off of this, and everyone else is free to do so as well. [Although my writings are never good enough to do such things with, so I won't except much.] Just a warning to you, there is some slight violence in this chapter, so if you don't like dead bodies, don't read. The song used is When They Come For Me by Linkin Park. [I think I'm obsessed.]

* * *

><p>When<em> They Come For Me<em>

_Come For Me_

_I'll Be Gone_

_When They Come For Me_

_Come For Me_

_I'll Be Gone_

He never liked having to scout something or someplace out. Especially if that some place happened to be totally ruined and completely torn apart. He knew he wasn't alone, sure; the others that were scouting out the rest of the broken city that he knew he couldn't reach by nightfall - like Mirage - were just farther away than he wanted them to be. But that was alright; he was fast enough to dodge enemy fire, and thought he could take on a few 'cons if need be. Weather he thought anyone who think him crazy for doing something like that or not, well, he couldn't deny them much of that. Then again, he was already dubbed as crazy for having missions that lead him into enemy base. But hey, it was all for the cause, right? And he was alright with that; he never did anything without good reason. He might have joined up young, yet he had to admit that he had grown up quickly.

He had to admit, though, the burning and destructed buildings always got to him; how could someone destroy their homeland and those in it was beyond him. This was how he always ended his scouting; having to think about anything and everything to pass the time, and take his mind off of what was going out around him. Buildings that used to be so tall and royal had fallen around him; leaving little standing and a large amount of rubble on the ground for him to crawl over. Every place seemed like the last; torn down and made into nothing but graves and an endless wasteland. Black smoke sufficed you if you weren't careful, and if it hadn't risen up, it made everything you saw like shadows. Everything he looked at made him unconsciously cringe, and every time he found a dead body he couldn't bear to look at it, it made him so sick. It was a sad thing, when you were willing to kill innocent people to get your way. Yet sadly, there were those out there who wanted to do things like that, and that disgusted him.

"Jazz, what's yer location?" suddenly came a gruff voice over the comm. Clicking on his comm, the saboteur responds.

"Down on the lower east side," Jazz spoke into the comm, agiling over yet another pile of rubble as he did so. "Nearly done; will be back in a few breems."

"Al'ight, jus' be careful," warned the voice. "There's been a sightin' a' a few 'cons strayin' around."

"Alright, thanks, 'Hide, Jazz out," and with that, Jazz turned the comm off. He had to admit, he had a little paranoia when it came to lone missions like this; everything felt so strange, even when there was nothing in site. "Man, then cons blew up this place t' _nuthin'_," commented Jazz to no one in particular; knowing he was just trying to have an intelligent conversation by talking to himself. "You'd think they'd be able to take better care of th' place if they're tryin' t' -"

Click. Click. Twitter. Chirrup. Squeak. Click. Chirrup. Sniffle.

"Huh?" Jazz asked, startled.

Instantly he checked his comm link, however realized that it had not come from there; no one was trying to contact him at the moment, nor did he accidentally try to contact anyone else. The saboteur paused for a moment, trying to listen for the noises again in the silence of the ruined city. Yet when none came, Jazz merely shrugged and decided that he was just hearing things, and kept on his way. He didn't get but a few feet when again he heard the noises coming from somewhere nearby; now he _defintantly_ wasn't going crazy. A moment later, the sound came yet again, and this time it sounded closer. Looking around confusingly, Jazz decided to try and follow the noise; seeing as how he was curious and if he didn't, he knew that he would regret it later.

"Wonder what this is 'bout," muttered the silver mech, looking around cautiously, nearing a building with a hole in it's wall; it looked to have once been a home, however it's ruined structure told the story of it getting caught up in the battle and it ended up being the victim of the Decepticon army. And this completely confused the silver mech; if it was destroyed, why was there noises coming out of it? Surely, if it was a distress call, Prowl or someone else would have responded to it by now.

Tip toeing up to the building and peering in to what now seemed like an abandon home ,the most he saw was wreckage and dead bodies. He instantly decided that it was probably his processor playing tricks on him, and, seeing no movements, he almost guessed that it was someone off lining at last, and was about to make a mental prayer to Primus for them to have a safe journey to the Matrix, when he heard the sound come for the far right of the room, and slight movement. Peering in further and pulling out his weapon - being weary just in case in was a trap, and not really feeling like getting captures - Jazz examined the portion of the room from where the noise came from. And what he finally laid eyes on in the dimmed lighting of the evening sun nearly made his spark stop pulsing.

"R-Ratchet," he stuttered, realizing that he had somehow lost his voice. "G-get Prime n' 'Hide 'n a few others n' come t' mah position, 'kay? It's really important"

**XXX**

It didn't take long for Mirage to hunt down where Jazz had hid inside the building he used as a hiding spot, leading Optimus, Ironhide, Ratchet, and Prowl inside. While everyone else looked confused as to why Jazz had said that they needed to get to his position as fast as possible, Ratchet was fuming, pushing past the others to the mech that had called them there.

"Jazz, care to explain to me _why_ you decided it was so urgent that you couldn't bring the situation to _us_?" asked the medic in a very annoyed tone, arms folded up on his chassis as "the look" covered his facial plates. "I have _patients_ I need to _attend_ to, thank you!"

When the group had entered, Jazz had been facing the wall, muttering to something he held in his arms. He had barely given them notice, however Ratchet seemed enough to wake the mech from his trance to look up with slight confusion, before frowning. And when Jazz frowned at something the medic said without first saying some snappy comeback that everyone else laughed at, that usually was _not_ a good sign.

"Ratchet, ah didn't think it would'a been good t' bring _this _out in th' open," Jazz said more sternly then possibly he had ever spoken to the medic, turning around as he held the object close to him, before trying to present it without it falling to the ground with a slight tilt. All of the mechs in the room - minus one slightly pissed off Jazz, which again was a usually rare thing - gawked at what the silver mech held in his servos.

Wrapped in a torn blanket, tightly most likely because Jazz had done so to settle it down, was a small sparkling, half the size of the second in command's arms. It's face was a light yellow, and it's optics glowed a baby blue as it looked to the 'bots it was being presented to with a mixed expression of curiosity, confusion, and frightened look. It quickly whimpered when it realized that it was no longer being pressed against Jazz's chassis; not realizing that it's creators and what seemed to be an older sibling or family member were lying offlined on the floor nearby. Jazz complied, quickly holding it back against his chassis, and it quieted down slightly when he did so.

"Found 'im 'ere lyin' with the femme over there," explained Jazz, nodding to a small framed bot fallen on her side, an arm still bent where she had been holding the sparkling. "Decepticons must've not seem 'im, or simply left 'im 'ere t' die," Jazz guessed, making a small rocking motion - however much awkwardly, considering that he most likely had never held a Sparkling before in his life - when the Sparkling began whimpering a little more than it had before.

"A-a _sparkling_?" Ironhide finally managed to get out, stepping out to get a better look at the small being Jazz tried to calm. "'Ah couldn't see them 'cons leavin' a little thing like _that_ 'ere t' die, Jazz. If anythin', they'd take the little guy with 'im, right?"

"On the contrary," Optimus spoke, stepping forward as well as Ratchet and Ironhide moved aside for him to take a look at the sparkling as well. "Decepticons would probably care less in trying to care for a sparkling; it's hard enough for us to care for such a young being, and they would not have the compactiy to handle one, either."

Jazz nearly wanted to gape when Optimus began talking, however decided to keep his mouth shut; it was not what he was saying, of course, but the fact that the little mechling in his arms had stopped whimpering and wiggling altogether when he heard the Prime's voice, turning his helm slightly to try to see where it had came from. It was as if it mistook the Prime for something else; then again, Jazz knew that Optimus Prime could quiet a room in an instant if he really wanted to shout or raise his voice; his own looming frame usually seemed enough to frighten anyone who did not know of him or never heard of him. Of course, Prime never used his "abilities" for anything "bad."

"Well, _we_ can't leave it here to die, either, Prime," said Mirage cautiously.

And everyone in the broken home, although none would admit, agreed with the ninja with their silence; it would have been wrong to leave such a small Sparkling alone there with no one to take care of it and eventually die. And the Decepticons, if they ever chose to come back and do a sweep for any injured Autobot survivors in the town, they would most likely make his death swift if they chose not to try and take it in to make it a part of their army. Both terrible choices in the end.

"But what can we do with it?" Ironhide finally asked. "Ah mean, th' Youth Sector was blown up not three vorns ago, an' ther's no femmes around alive tha' we know 'bout t' take care ah've 'im." That's when Prime got _the look_.

The look wasn't usually that bad; it meant he got an idea, and a usually good one at that. But that look could sometimes mean bad ideas, too; not in the large that it hurt the Autobot cause, but enough to make one stop and wonder if Optimus really _should_ be given those choices in the first place. He had a big spark, to put it plain and simple; especially when it came to those of the innocent. And the sparkling that Jazz held close to his chassis was no exception.

"Well, until we can find somewhere to place him," started Optimus, taking another good look at the small creature in Jazz's arms, "that we should take him in."

"Are you crazy?" Prowl intervened, obviously just as surprised at the Prime's choice as anyone else would have been; minus Mirage, who seemed happy at the idea, and Jazz, who rocked the sparkling silently in his arms with a small smile on his face. "Optimus, we _cannot_ keep a Sparkling aboard the Ark," Prowl stated, taking a step forward towards the Prime to show that he was serious. "We do not have any knowledge of taking care of a sparkling, plus the fact that we are all on busy schedules. And that fact that-!"

"Primus, Prowler, an' ah' thought ya'd be all for havin' a lil'n," Jazz cut off, a mischievous smile on his face. The cop car merely gave the silver mech a stern look, however Jazz again cut him off, holding up the Sparkling for the SIC to see. "Aw, c'mon, Prowler! 'Ow can ya deny ah face like _this_?" Jazz practically whined as he held the mechling up. Prowl made a face, looking like he was trying to hold another back. And honestly, with the sight that Jazz held up, who wouldn't?

The Sparkling must have been close to recharge before he was suddenly held up, because his optics were held between tiredness and confusion as he looked around the room, trying to take everything in. He was small enough to be newly sparked, or just small in general; one of Jazz's servos could have easily wrapped itself three-fourths of the Sparkling's body. The small being clicked slightly as he dozed in and out of recharge, obviously not trusting the larger beings around it. One had to admit, however, that it was quite adorable. Optimus was right as well; if they couldn't find somewhere to place it, what better place to keep it until then than with the Autobots?

"It's settled then," Optimus said, much to a few of the other bot's displeasure. "We'll take the Sparkling in until we can find him a permanent place to stay." The silence was enough of an agreement for the Autobot leader, so then spoke, "Alright, lets roll out. I have no doubt that some Decepticon scouts will come back soon enough to seek out any injured survivors; not that they will find any, but it's better safe then sorry that we leave now before they come."

There was a murmur of agreement, and swiftly the team exited the building and made their way back to the Ark, Jazz holding the Sparkling closely to his chassis as it solemnly fell asleep. None of them realized that Optimus would soon be proved wrong when he said that they would soon find a permanente place to stay for the Sparkling that didn't involve staying at the Ark; it _would_ have a permanente place to stay, of course; it just wouldn't involve leaving the Ark for a long, _long, time._


	2. Part Two

_The Voice Inside Me_

_Shouts Out Loud_

_A Silent Feel_

_For A Silent Doubt_

_I Often Wonder What's The Truth_

_Where Not To Go_

_What Not To Do_

_So Many Days In This_

_Cart of Wills_

_So Many Ways You Can Move_

_Still You're Standing Still_

Those few Autobots who were there to see the Sparkling who hadn't been let off duty just yet - which was pretty much just Mirage, however Prowler had gone straight to his office to get everything straightened out for the little Sparkling without anyone realizing what was going on; the team did not want anyone to know there was a Sparkling on board just yet, probably the last Sparkling of their kind, without knowing where to place him, much let getting him settling down - had gone to the med bay, Ratchet proclaiming that they should get the little guy checked out before anything else was done. Jazz had seemed to refuse - or rather too comfortable in holding the sparkling - to let anyone else hold the sparkling, and therefore sat on the med berth, legs stretched out as he presumed to set the sparkling in his lap, gently unwrapping it as Ratchet began getting a few scanning tools that probably weren't meant for Sparkling, yet he would make it work. Optimus sat himself to the opposite side of where he knew Ratchet was going to stand, on a Cybertronian sized chair. Ironhide stood by the med bay doors, a silent body guard that seemed paranoid around the smaller being.

The yellow Sparkling began to awake when Jazz began to unwrap him from his warmth, looking around in a confused manner as he wondered why such as thing was being done to him. And anyone who could see him realized that he was smaller than he looked without the blanket; he could fit quite nicely in the palm of Optimus Prime's servo, probably curl up comfortably in it and sleep soundly. He looked a little _too_ breakable for anyone's own good, especially for those who stayed on the Ark. When he realized that he was being watched by a few set of optics, the sparkling instantly whimpered and tried to scotch back further into Jazz's lower body, instantly making the silver mech smile.

"Yer al'ight," muttered the saboteur, gently putting both arms around the small mechling; instantly the small creature looked up at him for a moment before snuggling back into him, making Jazz's smiled grow.

Ratchet notably shook his helm as he grabbed the last few bits of objects he needed, as if he couldn't believe that _Jazz_ of all mechs was being so careful with a Sparkling that size; however, he couldn't hide the small smile that took his features. Optimus smiled as well at the site; Jazz was one of their youngest fighters, excluding the twins, even though there was a gap between he and that Sparkling he held in his lap. It was a funny site to see, even if Ironhide only huffed at it..

"Alright, move your servos," ordered Ratchet as he moved over to start the scans. Jazz instantly obliged, not wanting to get on the medic's bad side, but when one of his servos was about to life itself off of the small sparkling, the little creature instantly whined and grabbed up at it, catching a finger instead. Jazz looked at the sparkling for a moment before looking to the medic with a sheepish look. Well, as sheepish as one could look when you can only see their mouth.

"It doesn't seem like he wants t' give it up, Ratch'," shrugged Jazz, pulling his head back slightly as if he expected the medic to hit him with something for what the Sparkling had done. Ratchet merely sighed, shaking his helm.

"Just let him hold on to what he has," Ratchet ordered. "As long as he doesn't freak out, I _might_ be able to get the right data from the scan with your servo in the way."

Jazz again smiled sheepishly, setting his servo over the Sparkling's lap; the little being happy enough with that, and sat back as Ratchet started the scans. He seemed surprised at first to see the object that was being pointed at him, and for a moment tried to reach up to grab it. Ratchet took it away in a flash, giving Jazz a stern look. Quickly the silver mech pulled the sparkling back and began muttering soft words to him, and it seemed to please him enough to stare up at that covered place on the older mech's face; curious as to why he could see himself on the reflective surface of his mask. A few breems later, as Jazz was able to hold the sparkling still, Ratchet finished his scans, letting the final pad hit his thigh with a sign.

"Did you find anything, Ratchet?" Optimus asked instantly, a hint of worry in his voice; he was lucky for having a face mask, for it hid back a slight frown that was coming on. Ratchet shook his head on the question, making Optimus - and Jazz, too, it seemed - relax slightly.

"Except for some minor malnutrition, everything seems fine," Ratchet informed, before adding, "And, minus Jazz's _servo_ -" the mech gave yet another sheepish grin when his designation was brought up by the medic - "the scans suggest that the sparkling is only but a few orns old."

"Barely a newborn," they could hear Ironhide mutter from where he still stood from the doorway; even the gruff weapons speaclist had a soft spot for sparklings, even though he would not admit so.

"That's right," Ratchet nodded, giving another look to the Sparkling in Jazz's lap with a slightly grim and angered look. "Fraggin' Decepticons, leavin' Sparklings this young there to die," muttered the medic, swiftly grabbing his things to put them away in a minor rage; enough to make Jazz lean back in case the medic decided to throw something at him.

"Well, he's here with us, now," informed Optimus proudly, looking down at the Sparkling who now looked curiously back up at him before looking to the medic. "As long as he stays with us, he'll be safe and taken care of. Ratchet, would you mind mixing up some Low Grade for the sparkling so he has something to eat?" Ratchet muttered an agreement, first putting everything away before going back to the storage to do what Optimus had asked.

"You know," started Jazz, picking up the Sparkling so it was facing him, "I jus' realized, this lil' fella doesn't 'ave a designation yet. Maybe we should give 'im one!" There was a snort form Ironhide as the sounds of him finally walking up to join the other two at the berth resonated around the empty med bay.

"Yer kiddin', right?" the weapons speaclist asked as he stopped next to Optimus, his arms folded over his chassis. "Ya know tha' if we name 'im, we'll get all attached n' stuff. Then when we find a place fer 'im t' stay, an' we don't wanna get rid of 'im."

"Yeah, well…," Jazz started, frowning slightly as he sat the sparkling back down on his lap, the small being still facing him; baby blue optics looked up to him with utter confusion as to why he put him down in the first place, before trying to look over his shoulder to try and see where the gruff voice had come from.

"Well we honestly just can't keep calling him "The Sparkling," Ironhide," Optimus tried to reason with the other mech. "And he'll end up with one, weather we like it or not. So won't it be best if we got it over with now rather than later?" There was a pause, before Ironhide merely gave a "huruff" in response; obviously beaten in that department. Jazz merely smiled before lifting the Sparkling back up to eye level.

"Well, ah'm not th' one on names," the silver mech stated to the little sparkling, as if actually trying to have a conversation with him, "Buh ah betcha ah have a few names we could use fer ya." The sparkling merely clicked, staring at Jazz with a blank expression.

"Like what?" Optimus decided to respond, seeing as how the little being in Jazz's hold wasn't going to respond . Jazz stopped to consider for a moment, taking a good look over the mechling he had in his grasp, before looking up at Optimus.

"Well, ah was on this organic planet once," he began to explain. "Ah saw this lil' fuzzy bug on it that was yellow an' black; ah believe they called it a 'Bumblebee.'" Optimus was about to say something, when Ratchet came walking up with a cube of Energon for the sparkling, a penalized top on it to where the mechling could drink the substance from a tube.

"You're going to name it after a _bug_?" scoffed the medic, gesturing for Jazz to take cube so he could feed the mechling himself; the little guy was taking a liking to him, after all.

"Well, not was _ah_ was thinkin'," Jazz explained, setting the Sparkling in the crook of his left arm as he gratefully took the cube with his free servo. The mechling must have known what was inside, for he made a sort of happy chirp when it came into his optical range, reaching up and making grabbing motions to the object; obviously, he was hungry. Smiling, Jazz obliged; still holding onto the cube as the sparkling willingly took the tube in his mouth; small fingers wrapping around it as it took in nourishment.

"Well, what else do you have in mind?" Optimus asked the medic. Ratchet merely furrowed his optic ridges at the thought.

"Why not 'Piggy'?" Ironhide joked; a room full of stern eyes - minus that of the Sparkling - looked up at him; it was lucky that Jazz had half a smile at the joke. "What?" Ironhide asked innocently, shrugging his shoulder joints. "Ah'm just sayin'," he finally muttered in defeat; earning the right to not be stared at menacingly.

"Well," Ratchet sighed, looking at the Sparkling who was now seeming to be nearly full; although the medic _did_ mix up the formula to suit that of a sparkling his age, the cube used was for that of a full grown mech. Ratchet didn't know how much he would have drank, however, seeing as how he probably hadn't ate since his family was killed, which had been a good half an orn, maybe a little more. And Sparklings usually ate and slept a _lot_ during their first few orns of living. "I mean, 'Bumblebee' is a good name and all, but….."

"Then it's settled, then!" Jazz said happily; gently removing the tube from the sparkling's mouth when he stopped drinking the substance. His eyes were now drowsy, as if all of that drinking had again tired him out.

"Well, unless ya'll got any _other_ ideas, ah guess tha's a good a' name as any," shrugged Ironhide, taking one last weary look at the small mech in Jazz's arms.

"Bumblebee..," Optimus repeated to himself, before smiling under his mask. "That sounds about right."

Jazz could only smile down at the newly named Sparkling, who looked up at him with hazy optics before giving a small yawn; stretching his small limbs in the silver arms before curling up into the warmer frame. Jazz could only beam at the sight; he hadn't seen a sparkling but only once before, and that was when the Youth Sectors had been destroyed, and the only sight of sparklings he had seen_ were _those of ones that had been killed with their caregivers.


	3. Part Three

"Tell me _why_ is it that _we_ have to watch _it_ tonight."

"_Bumblebee_," Jazz corrected to his ever whining spark mate, gently rocking the small being in his arms that looked up at him with sad optics. "His _name_ is _Bumblebee_." Prowl merely sighed and shook his helm, wondering why he had let Jazz into something like this in the first place.

With a Sparkling around, and nowhere to place him at the moment that was safe, the best thing the mechs in the med bay could think of was to place him in one of their rooms without letting anyone know about him. Optimus couldn't; he had to help Prowl find somewhere safe to place the mechling without him getting into the war. Ratchet _obviously_ couldn't unless they wanted someone to find out; he had a med bay to work, and wouldn't have time off until that evening with it was time for bed. Ironhide flat out refused to watch the youngling that night; said he couldn't take care of one even if he tried. Which left Jazz; and he didn't mind doing so. He just forgot to ask his "roommate", that was all. Sometimes his bonded overlooked the important things, such as the care of a youngling. Yet, Prowl had a good point; they didn't know how to take care of a youngling, and Prowl had important work the next day, meaning that he had to get a good nights sleep, and the sparkling didn't look like he was going to have a happy slumber.

Ratchet informed that when a sparkling was taken out of familiar surroundings - aka it's home with it's carrier and sire - and put into a place where it never remembered being. When Jazz pointed out that it was fine when they entered the home and brought him to the med bay and fed him, however Ratchet informed that most likely the little mechling was tired and hungry, and had yet to take in it's surroundings, seeing as how he was asleep all the way to the med bay. Jazz had given up after that, and merely took the low grade meant for the Sparkling - _Bumblebee_ - and went on his way. Needless to say, Prowl wasn't too happy when he came back to their shared berth that evening and saw Jazz holding the Sparkling in his arms as he tried to comfort it.

"Well, what ever it is," started Prowl, calmly walking over to his desk, filled to the brim with data pads and what not, "I hope you can keep him calm during the night. Primus _knows_ I'm terrible with Sparklings to begin with."

"An' ya think ah'm th' best for 'im?" Jazz retorted, which seemed to fail right off; Prowl turned to give him a raised optic ridge, and Jazz looked down at Bumblebee to see the small Sparkling in his arms holding back crying as if he was trying to settle down and go to bed for him.

"I rest my case," Prowl said plainly, obviously thinking the same thing. Sighing, Prowl sat down at his desk, looking through the files he had and hopefully he would be able to find a place to sent the sparkling to so it would be safe and away form the war.

And more importantly, away from Decepticon hands.

Seeing as how Prowl was busy with his files, his back turned, Jazz looked back down to the little sparkling in his arms. Bumblebee seemed smart for even being a few orns old. He knew how to tell someone he was hungry without having to cry or whimper and someone have to find out for themselves. He was able to understand where voices came from, and was able to look straight at the mech talking if he chose to and was able. The movement he had with his servos with quite amazing, too; just before Prowl had came into the berth to be surprised with the sparkling in Jazz's arms, the silver mech had been trying to make the mechling laugh - which came to a complete failure - while holding him up. Bumblebee was not laughing, and instead, because he was near enough to the saboteur's face, lifted up his servos and placed them on Jazz's mouth, making him stop talking. Either 'Bee - Jazz's new pet name for the yellow sparkling - was wondering why the sound was coming from the moving object on the older mech's face, or he was getting tired of Jazz trying to make him laugh and him putting his little servos on Jazz's mouth was a nice way of him telling the older mech to shut up.

Either way, Bumblebee was pretty smart.

Now looking at the mechling, who was whimpering in his arms, Jazz couldn't help but feel a need to protect him, no matter the cost. Perhaps it was just the fact that Bumblebee was a sparkling and could not defend himself from much of anything, and looked so innocent as he stared up at him with those baby blue optics, wanting his home with his carrier and sire. When those images of a tiny mechling sat tangled in a mess of blankets, tucked in the arms of his fallen carrier, Jazz grimaced; who ever it was that had decided to leave a sparkling there to die, to die alone when he had all the right to live because he had down nothing wrong but live, and kill all of his family around him, well, Jazz felt sorry for the one who killed them and left the Sparkling behind; because when he found out who they were, they were going to pay the price. Jazz rarely killed unless there was a good reason for it or unless he was defending himself, and this was _defiantly_ a good reason.

As Bumblebee began whimpering in his arms again, Jazz instantly went to trying to calm the little being with his voice, much to Prowl's displeasure; the cop car thought that not waking up at all the night due to a sparkling also meant a silent night in reading over what he had to do to find that little creature a place to stay. Ah, well, one can dream, can't they? The sparkling calmed a little, and Jazz silently brought up one of the sparkling blankets Ratchet had found in his storage in the med bay, thick and fuzzy and meant to keep infants warm; it also happened to be yellow, much to Jazz's amusement. Gently Jazz lifted the sparkling up and wrapped the blanket around him, making sure he was nice and snug before grabbing one of the many low grades meant for the sparkling, and brining it over to the little creature. That seemed to be just what Bumblebee needed; slipping his arms out of the blanket and reaching up the cub topped and with a tube sticking out for him to drink out of. He seemed eager

Jazz smiled; complying with the sparkling's request and dipped the cube down so the tube was just above his mouth. Bumblebee took it happily in his little servos, wrapping his digits around it as he put the tube in his mouth and began drinking. The little fragger was cute, he had to admit; who ever his sire was - he never got a good look at him in the dim light, neither did he get a good look at the femme, nor did he want to, seeing as how she was dead - he and the sparkling's carrier must have been smart when choosing a proto form for the bugger, and he had a really good paint job, too. His baby blue optics were full of innocence and wonder, and it was a wonder as to how anyone could deny them. Humming as the sparkling drank, Jazz gently began rocking the small figure, trying to get him to drift off into a nice recharge.

And all the while, he hadn't noticed that he began to wonder what he and Prowl's first sparkling might look like.

**XXX**

After a good two human hours, Prowl was done with working, and complied that he had done enough for the day. He was surprised that Jazz hadn't walked over yet and told him that it was time for him to go to bed. Prowl wavered that thought off; knowing that his bonded was taking care of a sparkling at the moment, which could mean that he was more caught up in taking care of it rather than looking after his bonded at the moment. With a sigh, Prowl organized his belongings in two piles; finished and unfinished, he had dubbed them, putting anything he still wasn't too sure about in a third pile to the side. Standing up, Prowl turned to walk to his berth, quite ready for a good night's recharge, however when he saw the figures on the berth, he instantly stopped in his tracks.

Jazz lay in the middle of the berth, curled up on his side with his helm aligning with the bottom of the berth and his peds near the top. He had the blanket pulled up just above his waist, and his arms were circled around Bumblebee as he slept. The small Sparkling clicked an twittered in his sleep, a small pillow behind his helm as he was guarded by Jazz's body as he lay on the bed. Several little blankets lay on his small frame, and a tiny servo gently rested on Jazz's face, just above his nose as Bumblebee was so close to the bigger mech's face. They both seemed too comfortable, which made Prowl afraid that if he got into the berth that he would wake up one or both of them, disturbing their deep slumber. Finally, the SIC got up the courage to quietly tip toe over to the berth, seeing as how he could be quiet enough.

However, as he got to the edge, the Sparkling shifted in his sleep, and after a moment, onlined it's optics wearily to look up to Prowl as he loomed over the berth. For a moment it looked as if Bumblebee was about to start crying, and Prowl did the first thing that he could think of; gently the SIC stroked the sparkling's cheek lightly with a finger. That seemed enough for Bumblebee, and silently he fell back asleep, his shallow breathing showing that he had done so. Prowl sighed in relief before carefully climbing over Jazz and lying behind him, pulling the blanket over himself and higher up on Jazz, making sure to not let it land on Bumblebee's helm and suffocate him as he too was covered up a bit to make sure that he was warm enough for the night. Prowl had to admit, the little bugger - no pun intended - was kind of cute.

Scooting up to slightly spoon with Jazz, Prowl laid his chin on the other mech's neck nape, one arm draping over the silver mech's side. Maybe having a sparkling around wasn't so bad. Then again, these were dangerous times, and they couldn't risk the life of a sparkling, especially one so small. Unconsciously, Prowl reached down and stroked the sparkling's fore helm; making the little mechling shift slightly in his sleep and move slightly more towards Jazz's face plates; in turn making Jazz mumble something in his recharge and pull the mechling closer to him, as if trying to protect him more. Prowl smiled; for a usually hyper and overexcited mech who liked nothing but the highs of life, he seemed to calm down quite a lot when it came to this little sparkling.

And, although Prowl hated to admit it, even to himself, it _was _kind of cute.

* * *

><p>Eek! Fluff. xD The song is Walk Away by Chris Clouse<p> 


	4. Part Four

That next orn, to say the least, went by pretty smoothly. For the first part of it, Jazz was confined to he and Prowl's shared berth, watching the little sparkling and made sure that no one learned of it; they new that they were going to be unable to keep it, and therefore it would be useless and certainly unneeded for the rest of the mechs to get attached to it as well and then when the time came for them to give it away, that they not want to. Mirage was smart enough to make up a rumor that Jazz had gotten a virus, and was confined to stay in his berth until further notice, Ratchet being nice enough to go along with the story. Several times the ninja came by, dropping off Engergon for the sparkling and a few cubes for the older mech. It was funny enough that Jazz was still trying to make the sparkling laugh every time Mirage came by to check on him, even though it was worthless to do so; every time Jazz was trying to make the sparkling laugh, Bumblebee - that's what Jazz said his name was now - merely looked up at him with a blank look, as if everything he was doing wasn't helping and was stupid.

Then finally, it was the Ninja's turn to take care of the little bugger. He was lucky that he could turn both himself and the sparkling invisible at once, as well as all of 'Bee's current belongings. The only problem was keeping him quiet. He had heard from Prowl that afternoon that Jazz had "miraculously recovered from his virus" and was able to go back to being on duty. Mirage would have _loved_ to have seen everyone's faces when Jazz came strutting in looking good as new, when the ninja had everyone imaging a sick and colorless saboteur, purging every five breems and unable to keep anything down. He was good at making people believe something that wasn't real, he just didn't know he was _that_ good.

Honestly, Mirage hadn't seen very many sparklings as an adult mech, making Bumblebee the first since he could remember. Compared to his red paint job, Bumblebee's paint job was yellow, and the ninja also realized that he had two black stripes running down his back. It was an odd color, Mirage had thought to himself. However, he was not the one to judge, and it actually fit the little sparkling. For the rest of the orn until bed time, Mirage spend merely looking after the sparkling; he seemed either so tired or so weak at the moment that he just didn't feel like moving. That was alright with Mirage; he quickly learned that sleeping sparklings were cuter to watch than ones simply giving you a blank stare. He was just lucky that Ratchet told him how to take care of the Sparkling; never really seeing a sparkling until now was one thing, but actually taking _care_ of one was another story.

The Sparkling _was_ cute, which, to Mirage, made it easier; who would hurt a being so small and harmless and unable to hurt another being was _beyond_ him. The way the Sparkling looked up even at him, with those watery blue optics, obvious trust in them even though he hadn't known the ninja for even a few breems, well, it nearly made his spark melt. He knew that he wasn't supposed to get attached to the little creature, because they were soon going to find him a place to stay until he could take care of himself, but looking at that face, it was so hard. Besides, weren't Sparklings _supposed_ to be cared for by touch? As stated before, he really hadn't been able to be around Sparklings much, and therefore didn't know much about them to begin with, yet he was sure that they needed to be handled a lot, and he was sure that it would be hard to not get attached to Bumblebee while giving him the attention that he desired. Well, _seemed_ to desire; Bumblebee really didn't move much except to explore one's facial plates and to hold the tube that was connected to his specially made Engergon cubes when eating. Other than that, he simply laid there, either sleeping or looking up at you like you were something that he'd never seen before. And, knowing that, that was saying a lot.

**XXX**

He had to admit, he wasn't much of a happy camper; he had _tried_ to explain to everyone else that there was no _way_ in Pit that he would be able to take care of a sparkling, even with the help from someone else. But no one seemed to care for what he had to say. So, after a while of trying to plead his case, he had given up the fight; there was no use in trying to fight with the Hatchet, anyway, when he wanted his way and knowing that he was going to get it; 'Hide would had rather have kept his helm where it was at the moment, therefore thought it best not to anger him more than needed.

So by the end of the day, while Mirage and Jazz were relaxing from their time off; Prowl was still trying to find a place for the sparkling to stay permanently so they wouldn't have to take care of him and where he wouldn't get caught up in the war; Optimus, of course, running the Ark and made sure everything went smoothly, and yet still secretly he was trying to help Prowl in his goal; and then there was Ratchet in his med bay, making sure that everyone was in tip top shape. Which, for the end of the evening and most likely the rest of the _night_, meant that he was in charge of taking care of the small sparkling, promptly now known as Bumblebee.

He had to admit, he had never seen anything so small in all of his vorns; he had been to the Youth Sector plenty of times, and, compared to all of the other sparklings that he had seen, Bumblebee had been the smallest he had ever seen. Weather that was because he was built like that or his spark was just too small to handle any bigger of a frame, Ironhide couldn't guess which. Ironhide was almost surprised that such a small creature was able to make it in the world; any longer in that house alone, and if the Decepticons or Jazz had never shown up to find him, Bumblebee might have simply died, even within a matter of breems, had the cold had a long enough time to set in and freeze him. And although Ironhide would have hated to admit it, he couldn't stand the thought of the little sparkling dying there, alone in his carrier's arms, not realizing that his family had just been killed around him because there was a war going on, and that he would have had so much better of a life had they not been killed in the first place. Ironhide wouldn't wish that on his worst enemy; and, as far as he was concerned, the better half of the Decepticons would fit into that category.

Bumblebee sat on the large berth that belonged to Ironhide; the weapons speaclist had to clean his broom to the fullest extent, from his work station to the bed itself. He thought he did a pretty good job, considering it was a mess to begin with. The little yellow sparkling was surrounded in pillows, making a small chair-like object in a half circle, with a few blankets around him and two covering him. He seemed pretty relaxed; he had just been fed by Mirage before the ninja handed him off to him, after yet _another_ scan by Ratchet to make sure that everything was still alright with him; he was, after all, the smallest sparkling that anyone had seen before, and the condition he was found in wasn't the best of ones. Bumblebee sat with a half glazed over look, partly nodding off as he stared dimly at his current sparkling sitter; Ironhide stood a few feet away from the sparkling, arms crossed across his chassis as he examined the small being carefully. Every time Ironhide had tried to turn away to let Bumblebee sleep - 'Hide as well needing to clean out his cannons, of which were sat on his desk waiting to be done so - 'Bee would simply start whimpering, and if Ironhide chose to ignore that, they would exculate to whining; and if he chose to ignore _that_, it would exculate to crying, which Ironhide did _not_ want to hear; plus, there were other mechs around who could hear and would question him.

And if there was anything that Ironhide needed, it was _not_ that.

Sighing, Ironhide shook his head; either the movement or the sound making the sparkling jump slightly and wake up a bit, focusing a bit more on Ironhide before becoming tired again, yet not quite falling asleep. What _was_ he going to do with the little sparkling? He obviously couldn't stand there until he fell asleep, and he knew he couldn't go into recharge just yet; while he needed to clean his cannons, 'Hide promised that, if it made anything go by faster, he would try to help find a place for the sparkling to go to that didn't involve Decepticon activity. And with how things were going, he wasn't going to get _anything_ done that night with a sparkling half in and half out of sleep. Sighing again, his shoulders slumped, his arms still tightly across his chassis.

"Primus, child, _what_ _**ahm**_ ah gonna do with you?" Ironhide asked aloud, knowing that the little creature on the berth could not response. The sparkling merely shifted more on the berth, his servos - along with his arms that were firmly on top of the blanket - moving as his small servos clenched the top blanket that kept him warm; Ratchet had found a few toys that were old and dusty that he ended up needing to wash off before giving them to Ironhide, one of which was the human equivalent of a pacifier, and the sparkling didn't seem to be doing much with it; sucking on it every few breems, however for the most part keeping it as still as possible.

Finally the usually gruff mech gave in; it looked as if he was going into recharge early that orn instead of staying up and doing what he needed to do. Turning, Ironhide his small trips around the room, cleaning up DataPads and putting his cannons aside for the morning when he could actually get his work done; Bumblebee whimpering and whining when he couldn't see his current care taker. He expected as much; although he had never taken care of one personally, he knew that sparklings and younglings were an exhaustion to take care of. He had figured as much by how much the caretakers at the Youth Sector ran around in a mad frenzy; yet none of them seemed in a frenzy or too tired because of all of the moving around. Most of the caretakers were femmes, so perhaps it was built into their central processor to take care of sparklings. He never doubted femmes in that category, therefore just figured as so. As Ironhide finally finished clean up, he wondered to the lights, knowing he himself could not sleep with the lights on, and promptly turning them off.

There was a light thump at the berth, which sounded like the sparkling's pacifier falling out his mouth, and the sparkling started to whine louder than he had been.

"You're al'ight," muttered Ironhide, making his way to the berth and shifting the pillows around; picking up the sparkling as the small creature tried to move himself towards the large mech to no avail. He was pretty weak, it seemed, only able to hold his arms up for a klick at a time. Finally Bumblebee was laid to rest on a large chassis as Ironhide moved under the blankets, Bumblebee still having one wrapped around him, moving pillows so that if the sparkling slid off of his chassis, he would have something to land on. "Yer a pain in my rear, you know that?" asked Ironhide softly as he settled down, placing one servo behind his helm and the other over the squirming sparkling.

The little fella was small enough to almost fit completely in the weapons specialist's servo, which seemed to amaze the mighty mech so much. Baby blue optics looked at him tiredly as the sparkling shifting on his belly, obviously liking the feeling of a warm spark to feel beating as he went into recharge. Ironhide smiled; he had to admit, the sparkling _was_ pretty adorable. He was just lucky that no one was there to know that he thought that. After one last look, the sparkling sighed, unable to keep his helm up any longer, and laid his helm down on the broad chassis curling up as Ironhide pulled the blanket all the way up to the sparkling's shoulders; knowing he was warm with two sheets and a blanket on him, plus a servo keeping him tucked in.

Relaxing himself, Ironhide looked up to the ceiling; Optimus had said something about informing the others on the Ark about the sparkling, seeing as how it might be a while before they found him a suitable place to stay, or at least so that way they wouldn't have to hide him as much as they did. Ironhide didn't mind that; at least there would be more mechs to watch him, instead of himself having to watch him all the time. Then again, he _did _seem a little attached to the mechling now that it was his turn to watch him; having to put him to bed and all. Looking down at the sleeping form, Ironhide couldn't help but wonder: who in the Pit would do such a thing to a sparkling that could do no more harm to others than a speck of dust floating in the air.

Ironhide sighed and relaxed him helm back on his pillow; only time would find out.

* * *

><p>What a nice mech Ironhide is. xD<p> 


	5. Part Five

Ironhide was stuck with the sparkling that morning, seeing as how the briefing for what happened in Iacon was early that morning as well. It seemed everyone wanted to know if there were any survivors or not, and who this new mech Optimus had mentioned. Ironhide knew who the new mech was, of course; however the term "mechling" fit the sparkling _much_ better.

Taking care of the sparkling that morning was quite simple, really; the little guy woke up the weapons speaclist earlier than he planned waking up, but that was alright; Ironhide had quietly fed the mechling low grade before having to give him a bath, which Ratchet said was quite alright by him. It seemed that enough soot had gotten on him, along with having some dried Engergon on him, and he needed the bath well enough. The sparkling had been relaxed the whole time; he seemed to like the warmth of the bath, the fixture only being a simple design from Ratchet him. Ironhide couldn't tell if this was the sparkling's first bath or not, seeing as how he was only a few days old. But he seemed to like it, often trying to splash the water and giggling when he got some on his current care taker. The only thing Ironhide could do was smile as the sparkling giggled and twittered at the splashing water, sometimes gently flicking some back at him without aiming at his face.

When the sparkling was finally clean, Ironhide did a quick one-over of himself - he was dirty, quite a bit, actually, but feared leaving the mechling alone for any amount of time. So he made it quick, before going to sit back on the berth with the sparkling in his arms. The warmth of the water seemed to relax the sparkling as well; the yellow mechling snuggled up against that broad chassis as he seemed to drift in and out of recharge. Ironhide would have been the same, he knew, if he ever had the time one night to actually drink a full cube of Engergon and have a hot bath. He really missed those days as a sparkling; not having a care in the world, and getting to get away with almost anything that you did. Of course, he often got punished for things that he knew better than to do, but still, life was good.

When it was nearly time for the meeting, Ironhide grabbed a blanket and wrapped the sparkling in it carefully, making sure not to hurt him in the process. Bumblebee seemed just as fine with that; now that he was warmer, he fell back into recharge within clicks of being placed back against Ironhide's broad chassis. Which Ironhide was okay with, because he knew that meant that the sparkling would be quieter on their way to the conference room. And Ironhide was swift about getting there, too; he almost felt like anyone onboard the Ark was an enemy out to get the sparkling, although tried not to show it by looking confidante as he strutted down the halls.

He was lucky enough to be one of the first ones there; having been beaten by Prime, Prowl, and Jazz, of course. All three paused and looked up to him, however all but Jazz went back to what they were chatting about earlier. The saboteur let a large grin slip onto his face as he slipped himself around the table and to where Ironhide still stood from the now closed door. The sparkling seemed to be waking up from his nap now, too; at least he seemed to be, he had slept a good amount the night prior.

"Well look who's up n' at 'em!" cooed the silver mech as he leaned over Ironhide's arms to look at the waking sparkling, barely regarding the older mech before doing so. "Ya ditched me last night, ya know tha? Yeah, I 'ad t' sleep alone with ol' Prowl las' night, and lemme tell ya, it was _bor_-ing," The second in command shot his bonded a glare, however the silver mech ignored it.

The sparkling waking up more from being talked to, Bumblebee weakfuly rubbed his optics as he glassily and with a confused expression looked up to the mech talking to him. After a moment of looking at the saboteur's face, he seemed to at least recognize him, a tiny servo twitching up to try and grab at the face leaning over him. Smiling, Jazz reached down and gripped his own servo over the smaller one, seeming to amaze the sparkling; earning a surprised gurgle as well as a slightly amazed expression that Jazz was just that much larger than he was. Ironhide couldn't hold back a smile of his own at the site of the little sparkling. He had to admit, he seemed so smart for such a little thing, but then again, 'Hide hadn't been around many sparklings all too often, and the ones at the youth center were older than the sparkling he held now. Maybe he was just imagining things, but he couldn't have been wrong.

Especially when, throughout the night, he knew that every time the sparkling woke up, he whimpered, small hands searching and finally finding that warm entity that promised safety and comfort for him. And every time that sparkling did, he seemed to have sighed in content, before lazily - and quite happily - falling back asleep.

* * *

><p>This chapter is the shortest, however the next one is going to be the last one, most likely.<p> 


	6. Part Six

Ok, so I might write one more chapter to this, just to make sure that it ends properly. If not, oh well. . My muse for this was Phil Collin's You'll Be in My Heart.

* * *

><p>Ironhide found himself rather hidden to begin with at the start of the meeting; standing well behind Prime as low voices murmured around about the thought of there being a survivor from Praxus. No one knew who he or she was, of course, because Prowl decided to make that a surprise. No one knew that it was one of the last known sparklings remaining on Cybertron. No one obviously noticed the sparkling he hid in his arms, either; partly using Optimus as a shield, Ironhide easily hid the sparkling in his arms, looking to anyone else that didn't know that he was merely crossing his arms. Bumblebee seemed content to be there; shriveling away in his care takers arms and lavishing in the protection he was getting. Ironhide didn't mind, either. At least it was a good way to reason to try and keep everyone else from the start anyways.<p>

Everyone silenced almost at once when Optimus finally stood from his chair, Ironhide shifting on his peds as he did so. If he weren't the rough and tough weapons speaclist that he was, he probably wouldn't be able to façade hiding a sparkling so well. That, and no one would question why he had been acting so strange. He _had _been a little held back to everyone since the start of the meeting, and would rather stay where he was than go and mingle. At least no one was staring at _him_ anymore; at least not directly, anyways.

"As you all know, there has been a recent attack on Praxus," Optimus said clearly. "And as you may have heard, there has been no survivors found as of yet out of the wreckage." Still there was silence; no body moving, and no one dared to make a sound as the Prime paused, obviously expecting the opposite. Finally, nervously, Cliffjumper raised a servo slightly.

"But isn't that why you called us here, sir?" he asked when Optimus nodded in his direction to speak. "Because there was _one_ survivor."

"Yeah, then where is he?" asked an anxious Sideswipe, leaning forward on the table. "'Cause, ya know, if he's outta the med bay an' all, we'd like to meet him."

"You only wanna meet 'em so you'll have someone to spar with," accused Hound jokingly, earning a glare from the silver twin.

"Well, he can't exactly _spar,_" stated Optimus slowly, taking a small and curious peek at his old friend behind him; Ironhide was already giving some of the other mechs dirty looks.

"Oh, what?" Sunstreaker chuckle. "Fragger too small for his own good, or is he just a coward, afraid of meeting the mighty Autobots?" Ratchet looked as if he were about to throw something at the golden twin for cursing, much less raising his voice, when Optimus managed to cut in.

"Well, he _is_ a little too small for his own good," said Optimus, not looking towards Ironhide and gesturing for him to step forward with the sparkling. Ironhide did so, just as Sideswipe spoke up.

"What? Ironhide has to be some odd bots protector or something?" snickered the silver twin, leaning back in his chair.

"I'd watch what you say 'bout a sparkling, dumbaft," said the weapons speaclist bitterly, lowering his arms slightly so all could see the bundle he held in his arms, "otherwise, a lot 'ah us won't be sorry when we kick your aft."

Everyone else went silent even before Ironhide finished his sentence; a few people leaning forward as if they couldn't believe what they were seeing. Bumblebee's blanket was no longer protectively wrapped around him, but rather just there to keep him warm. The sparkling was still well against his current care taker's chassis, and when he as lowered, took a cautious look around at everyone around him. Seeing that he was being stared at, and obviously not liking it all too well, quickly hid his face in the large mech's chassis for protection. It was probably one of the longest silences anyone had ever heard on the Ark, those who already knew of the sparkling - at least Jazz and Ratchet - seeming pretty content on the silence happening around them.

"A…. A sparkling?" Wheeljack asked, finally fining his voice. "Y-you've got to bee kidding me, Optimus. Why, weren't all of the other sparklings killed at the youth sector?"

"That's what we believed," Optimus nodded at the inventor. "Until Jazz found him in Praxus, that is."

"Both 'is creators an' one o' his family was killed bah th' time ah got to where he was," Jazz informed. "Dunno why he wasn't killed off either, though. Ah guess the Decepticons jus' left him ther' t' die or somethin', or jus' simply missed 'im."

"A little guy like _that_," Hound asked, still baffled. "'Least ya think they'd do was take 'im in, wouldn't you?"

"Yeah, well ah don' think tha' the Decepticons are _that_ kind hearted, Hound," grumbled Ironhide, now pulling the sparkling up higher against him like he had been.

Bumblebee seemed content with that; clicking and twittering happily in response. Around the room, it looked like some of the bots were trying to hold back an "aw" face, anyone else trying to hold back the sound of it altogether. Optimus smirked at that, lucky that he had his face mask on to where no one could see him doing so.

"So, how long is he staying?" asked Perceptor curiously as he leaned back in his chair; cocking his helm to one side in question.

"Well, we don't exactly know," informed the Prime. "Prowl and I have been trying to find him a place to stay where he would be safe and not in harms way, however the search has not been going well at all, honestly."

"Then why not let him stay here with us?" asked Cliffjumper in a serious tone. "I mean, there's no safer place to be than here with the Autobots, right?"

There was some murmurs of agreement to that statement; it wasn't as if they were going to intentionally hurt a sparkling. And all of Cybertron seemed to be a battle ground for either faction, leaving little safe places except for those rare hiding places underground. And even _they_ were hard to find, like it or not. So what better place?

"No hold on, just a minute," Prowl said calmly as he stood up from his chair, however a hint of slight annoyance showed in his optics. "Who's to say that we won't get attacked in the on coming week here on the Ark, and someone snatches the sparkling, or worse, what if -"

"Well then we could have someone watching him every hour," shrugged Sideswipe. "I mean, he _is_ our last sparkling, isn't he? Shouldn't we be taking special care with him? I mean, he _is_ a sparkling, and we should be taking special care of him anyway, but that don't mean that we still can't take care of him."

"Yeah, and maybe someone could adopt him or something," shrugged Hound. "That is to say, if all of us don't try to do so at once." There was a grumble of annoyance from Prowl at all of these thoughts.

"Ya have't admit, Prowl," shrugged Jazz, "that this'd be a good idea as any. You even said yerself that the searchin' ain't goin' too well, right?" Prowl gave his bonded a glare, however everyone could tell that Jazz was right; Prowl's shoulders had slumped even as he tried to give his bonded the death look.

"And even _if_ you guys find him a place to stay, it's not like it'll be quickly and all, right?" Wheeljack asked, before getting a curious look on his face. "It _is_ a mechling, isn't it?"

"'Course," Ironhide mumbled with a nod.

"Did he come with a name or somethin, or did you guys never pick a name out for him yet?" asked Sideswipe.

"Oh yeah, 'Sides," said Sunny, rolling his optics. "Like _they_ would have time to sit down and give a sparkling a name when it could simply _come_ with a name." Sideswipe gave a look towards his brother, seeming eager to hit him, when Prime thought it would be best to intervene.

"He _does have a designation, actually," said Optimus, earning everyone's attention. "We gave one to him the night before last, because there were no records on him that Ratchet could find."_

"_Oh yeah? And what'd ya call 'im?" asked Cliffjumper with a smirk. _

_Looking back to the sparkling for a moment, Optimus thought. The mechling seemed now interested in all the voices around him, seeing as how he had Ironhide for protection, and he didn't seem as if he were letting the little sparkling go any time soon. The yellow bot gave some small clicking noises when the room went quiet, as if asking, "Hey, why did everybody stop talking?" Looking back to everyone in the room, Optimus merely said one simple word, a smirk still playing on his lips from behind his mask._

"_Bumblebee."_


	7. Part Seven

"… and, ah course, Optimus 'cided tha' it's be best if 'Hide was your guardian an' all, since Optimus trusted him more an' all. Tha', an' he did th' one thin' nobody said he could ever do, an' somethin' he sai' he'd _never_ do: he got attached t' ya an' all."

All Bumblebee could do was sit there and simply stare at the third in command as he finished his story; the silver mech leaning back against the back of the chair and folding his arms behind his helm, as if finally able to relax after everything he had just told. Then again, there _was_ a lot of things that he just had to explain to the younger mech. He _had_ asked, believe it or not.

It had been a rainy day that day at base, therefore it didn't look as if anyone where going anywhere at the moment. This meant that Sam and Bumblebee could not go driving anywhere, therefore both decided to just chill out and relax around base. After a while, they ran into Jazz alone in the conference room, doing just that. So they joined him, hoping for some entertainment for a few hours; a way to pass the time. After a while of talking, and Jazz telling a few stories about Bumblebee as a sparking, Sam finally asked the question: "All you're telling us about is how he was when he was little. Where was he born, anyway? And who were is, um, creators?"

At that, when Sam gave his guardian a curious look, the yellow mech merely shrugged; even _he_ didn't know much about where he came from. From the time he could remember, Ironhide had always been his sire, although he knew not biologically. He had at one point wanted to know where he had came from, but after a while, had decided to quite asking. He liked his family the way that it was, and didn't want to start anything by asking where he had came from. But now that he knew, well, it came as quite a shock to both him and Sam; Jazz just smiley goofily at their expressions.

"So…. Bumblebee's birth family is….?" Sam trailed off, unable to say anymore even after finding a way to ask. Jazz nodded.

"Purdy much, yeah," he answered, now sitting up to place his elbows on the table and leaning forward. "Dunno who was what t' him, but whoeva they were, they was deader than a door nob, like you would say." Both sat in silence before looking towards the yellow mech who had been the whole time quiet and a bit uneasy.

Bumblebee seemed to be staring into space a little bit, as if the story had sent him there by it's own godly will. He seemed to be thinking as well, which Sam couldn't blame; he'd want some quiet time if he just heard that most likely his parents and family had died trying to save him, or had simply been killed off without any warning, and he had been sitting there left for dead until someone came to save him. Well, of course, if had been the Autobots, Sam wouldn't have minded either way. But still, he'd be pretty speechless, too, if he had just learned how he was found. After another moment, Bumblebee finally shook his helm and, shuttering and unshuttering his optics, looking down to the human who stared up at him with a mixture of sorrow and sympathy.

"You alright, man?" asked Sam, obviously trying to help his friend cheer up. After a moment, Bumblebee shrugged, then nodded.

( _Guess I'm a little surprised, is all_ ) said Bumblebee truthfully, sighing lightly as his shoulders drooped a if a large weight had just been bared on them.

"Ah, no worries, kid," Jazz said helpfully, gently placing a servo on one of those drooped servos for support as he tried to calm his brother's nerves with slight cooing. "'S not like ya weren't raised wrong 'r nothin', right? 'Sides, I betcha we'd'ah been a better family then they were."

"Nice one, Jazz," Sam laughed as he turned to look at the other mech with hands in his jean pockets. "I _don't_ think that's a good line to try and cheer someone up with."

( _Aw, it's al'ight_ ) said 'Bee as he playfully pushed Jazz's servo off of his shoulder plating; a smile plastered on his lips if he could. ( _He's probably right, anyway_. )

"See what ah' mean?" Jazz smiled with a slightly "ah ha" laugh, leaning back in his chair again triumphantly. "Ya got smarts right there. Betcha learned it from Prowl, huh?"

( _If I could understand half of the things that he says_ ) laughed Bumblebee, making the other two laugh as well. ( _Hey, Sam, wanna go play some video games with Skidz and Mudflap?_)

"Beats sitting here listening to Jazz's depressing stories all day," Sam smirked as his guardian stood up; Sam instantly made his way over, in which Bumblebee offered a servo for him to stand on so he wouldn't have to walk. The human willingly accepted.

"Oh ha ha, very funny," Jazz said sarcastically as he stood up with them to leave; he didn't really feel like staying here by himself, really, when he could be doing other things. Like helping Skidz and Mudflap beat 'Bee and Sam at video games

The trio went out of the empty room laughing at jokes and talking some more as they headed towards the rec room for a challenge. Isn't this what families were supposed to be like? Bumblebee thought so, seeing as how his life growing up was just as good.

* * *

><p>Aw, what a good ending! This chapter was based before An Autobots Christmas, meaning Jazz was already brought back to life and all of that jazz. Hope you enjoyed this story, because this is the last chapter of it. Feel free to try and make something out of it, although I'd like to see the end results. xD<p> 


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